Optic Cover with Releasably Retained Display

ABSTRACT

A cover for use with an optic device to hold and display shooting information. The cover may have resilient retention members that allow a display to be releasably attached and detached from the cover. The display may be made from a single substrate or multiple substrates in order to make the shooting information contained thereon highly visible in a variety of conditions and shooting preferences. The cover may include a flexible body for securing the cover to optic devices of a variety of sizes.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation patent application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/742,310 filed Jun. 17, 2015, which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/196,251filed Mar. 4, 2014 and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,683,812 which areincorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

FIELD

The disclosure relates generally to the field of optic sighting devices.More particularly, the disclosure relates to devices and methods forconveniently retaining sighting and other information.

BACKGROUND

Avid shooters, e.g. a hunter, competition shooter, military, lawenforcement officer, etc., rely on many different pieces of informationin order to make accurate and precise shots. Some information is basedupon environmental factors such as distance, minute of angle, elevationhold value, wind hold value, pressure, temperature or elevation. Someinformation is based upon the equipment being used, for example scopeheight, muzzle velocity, and/or the ballistic being used, for examplebullet class, bullet speed, bullet's ballistic coefficient and bulletdrag model, or a combination of these parameters, such as observedbullet drop. This information is commonly referred to in the shootingindustry as data on personal equipment, data on previous engagements, orDOPE.

Due to the amount of different DOPE factors that can affect theprecision and accuracy of a shot and the variability of the same,keeping track of such DOPE can be challenging for shooters. Someshooters use dope log books to enter the information themselves. Othershooters may use a number of pre-calculated DOPE charts from which ashooter can look up the information needed. Having such informationreadily available when a shooter is making a shot can also bechallenging. In some situations, such as hunting, flipping through pagesof a log or book can cause the target to become suspicious and flee.Therefore a need exists for holding such information in a readilyaccessible location.

To attempt to solve this problem, some shooters have begun cuttingportions of their logs or books into a circular or disc shape and tapingor gluing them to the inside of their optic covers. Many shooters use anoptical device such as, but not limited to a scope, when shooting. Inorder to protect the lenses of the optical device from scratches,shooters will use covers. Some covers, called flip cap or flip opencovers, fit on the end(s) of the optical device and have a cap that canbe closed when the optical device is not in use or opened when theshooter intends on using the optical device. When the flip cap is open,the eyepiece of the optical device is available for use by the shooterwith the cover's cap off to the side or above the optical device. Sincethe inside of the cover's cap is available for use and faces the shooterwhen the cover is open, the inside of the cap is a convenient place tohold a shooter's DOPE.

One company called Scope Dope states that it offers “a quick referenceballistic data disc designed to fit inside the cover of a ‘flip-open’riflescope cap . . . made from heavy die cut vinyl.” Scope Dope alsostates that a shooter can then “pre-record critical data using thewaterproof permanent pen onto the data disc.” The discs offered by ScopeDope can be attached to a cap by using glue or tape.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

As mentioned above, prior attempts to create DOPE displays that can beattached to the inside of a cover cap have not been frilly optimized.Although such DOPE discs allow a shooter to write some information he orshe desires onto the disc, such information is limited to the preprintedspaces for specific information. Further, although such a disc can fitmany different models of flip cap covers, the disc has to be secured tothe cover such as by tape or glue. If a shooter glues the disc to thecover, the disc, and the information on the disc, cannot be changed forchanging environmental factors or if a different gun or bullet is used.If a shooter tapes the disc to the cover, the disc may be changed, butthe tape will lose its tack from the frequent switching of discs andenvironmental factors such as moisture or dirt. This can result in thedisc falling out of the cover cap and/or requiring the shooter toinstall a new piece of tape in the cover cap at inconvenient times suchas during hunting. Furthermore, the removal of a disc from a cap coverheld by tape during some activities, such as hunting, can cause thetarget to become suspicious and flee.

The applicant has discovered that a need exists for the secure retentionof DOPE information at a convenient location, such as the inside of aflip cap cover, and, at the same time, permit such information to beremoved and replaced.

In one embodiment, the invention provides a cover for an optical device.The optical device includes a cap and a means for releasably andsecurely holding a display such that the display can be selectivelyremoved from the means for releasably and securely holding a display.The means for releasably and securely holding a display is permanentlyattached to the cap.

In another embodiment, the invention provides a cover for an opticaldevice. The optical device includes a body capable of attaching thecover to the optical device. A cap is connected to the body such thatthe cap can be opened or closed, the cap having an interior portion. Theoptical device also includes a display with a perimeter and at least oneresilient retention member attached to the interior portion of the capfor retaining the display, capable of temporarily deforming to receiveand release the display. The display having at least one indent formedin its perimeter such that the display may be released from the at leastone resilient retention member at least through use of the at least oneindent.

In yet another embodiment, the invention provides a display for shootingfirearms with a sighting device having a cover. The cover includes afirst substrate having a first color and a second substrate having asecond color different than the first color and fixed to the firstsubstrate to form a display. The first substrate is engraved such thatthe second substrate is exposed through the engraved first substrate andconveys shooting information. The display is shaped such that it may befirmly retained by the cover and has a perimeter formed such that theperimeter may be used to remove the display from the cover.

Another embodiment of the invention provides a cover for an optic devicehaving a flexible body for securing the cover to an optic device, a ringconnected to the flexible body, a cap complementary to the ring, the capoperably connected to the ring. The cover may also include a cap havingan interior portion that is capable of releasably and securely holding adisplay and a display including DOPE data.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that one or moreaspects of this invention can meet certain objectives, while one or moreother aspects can lead to certain other objectives. Other objects,features, benefits and advantages of the present invention will beapparent in this summary and descriptions of the disclosed embodiment,and will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Such objects,features, benefits and advantages will be apparent from the above astaken in conjunction with the accompanying figures and all reasonableinferences to be drawn therefrom.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an isometric view showing the attachment of an optic cover toa sighting device.

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of a dosed optic cover attached to one endof a sighting device and an open optic cover attached to another end ofthe sighting device.

FIG. 3 an isometric view of an optic cover with the cap open andretaining a display.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged isometric view of a closed optic cover.

FIG. 5 is a cross-section view of the optic cover of FIG. 4 along theline 5-5.

FIG. 6 is an isometric view of an optic cover with the cap open and thedisplay removed.

FIG. 7 is an isometric view of an alternative embodiment of an opticcover with the cap open and the display removed.

FIG. 8 is an isometric view of another alternative embodiment of anoptic cover with the cap open and the display removed.

FIG. 9 is an isometric view of another alternative embodiment of anoptic cover with the cap open and the display removed.

FIG. 10 is an isometric view of a display.

FIG. 11 is an isometric view of a cross section of the display of FIG.10 taken along the line 11-11.

FIG. 12 is an enlarged isometric view of another alternative embodimentof an optic cover with the cap open.

FIG. 13 is an isometric view of the optic cover of FIG. 12 showing thecap open and the display removed.

FIG. 14 is an isometric view of the optic cover of FIG. 12 showing thecap open and a display showing certain DOPE data in a reticle styledisplay.

FIG. 15 is an isometric view of the optic cover of FIG. 12 showing thecap open and a different display showing similar DOPE data in a chartformat.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A cover for an optic device in accordance with the present inventionhelps shooters conveniently and securely releasably retain shootinginformation on a cap of the optic cover. A display in accordance withthe present invention can be securely attached to and detached from thecap of an optic cover to readily display shooting information.

Referring now to FIG. 1, one aspect of the present invention provides aflip cap style cover 10 for an optic device 11 such as a scope or othersighting device. As seen in FIG. 2, a cover 10 can be used on each endof the optic device 11. The cover 10 includes a cap 12 attached to thecover, such as, for example, by a hinge 13 such that the cover can beopened and closed as seen in FIGS. 2 and 3. Other constructions forattaching a cap 12 to a cover 10 are known in the industry, the use ofwhich would not defeat the spirit of the invention. The cover 10 canalso include a body 14 for attaching the cover to an optic device 11.

Another embodiment of the invention is a. cap 12 as will be described,for attaching to an existing cover body 14 so as to retrofit the cap 12or cover 10 to any aftermarket optic cover or optic device available.

The cap 12 has an interior portion 16, seen in FIG. 3, and an exteriorportion 18, seen in FIG. 4. When the cap 12 is in the closedconfiguration, such as, when the optic device 11 is not being used, theexterior portion 18 of the cap 12 is exposed to the environment and theinterior portion 16 of the cap faces the optic device 11 as seen in FIG.5.

When the cap 12 is in the open configuration as seen in FIG. 3, such as,when a shooter desires to use the optic device 11, the interior portion16 of the cap 12 faces the shooter. When using two covers 10, such asshown in FIG. 2, the exterior portion 18 of the cap 12 of the secondcover will also face the shooter when open. If the cap of each cover isset up to open in a different direction, both the interior portion 16 ofthe first cap and the exterior portion 18 of the second cap will bevisible to the shooter.

As shown in FIG. 3, the interior portion 16 of the cap 12 is capable ofholding a display 20 which can show information such as DOPE. In oneembodiment, the display 20 is round in shape and held by the interiorportion 16 of the cap 12 by tabs 22 permanently attached thereto, suchas by integrally forming the cap and tabs, which resiliently hold thedisplay 20 in place. (See FIG. 6). For example, the tabs 22 can be madeof a resilient plastic that will temporarily deform when sufficientforce is applied. To further encourage deformation upon application ofpressure, the tops of the tabs 22 could also be angled. Thus, when thedisplay 20 is pushed on the tabs 22, such as by a shooter, the tabsdeform to receive the display and allow the display to slide past thedeformed tabs and to be seated. Once the display 20 is seated, the tabs22 retake their original shape and thereby securely hold and firmlyretain the display 20 in place. This embodiment provides a balancebetween ease of removal of the display 20 and securement of displaywhile shooting.

Although the embodiment described above discloses that the interiorportion 16 of the cap 12 releasably retains a display 20, the exteriorportion 18 of the cap or both the interior portion and the exteriorportion could be capable of retaining displays. For example, when acover 10 is used on each end of an optic device 11, it may be desirableto have the cap 12 from the first cover releasably retain a display 20on the interior portion 16 and the cap 12 from the second coverreleasably retain a display 20 on the exterior portion 18 such that twodisplays are visible to the shooter when using the optic device.

In another embodiment, the display 20 is held by a resilient annularridge, ring or flange of the cap 12. As seen in FIG. 7, the annularflange 23 extends along the perimeter of the interior portion 16 of thecap 12. Although the annular flange 23 is shown as a continuous flange,the flange could also be intermittent along the interior portion 16.Similar to the tabs 22 above, the annual flange 23 can be made of aresilient material such that the annular flange will deform when thedisplay 20 is being seated and thereafter retake its original shape tohold the display in place.

In another embodiment, the display is held by at least one post 24 ofthe cap 12. The one or more post(s) 24 could be made from a resilientmaterial and located at the center of the interior portion 16 of the cap12 as seen in FIG. 8, or located around the circumference of theinterior portion 16 of the cap 12 similar to the tabs 22. In theembodiment shown in FIG. 8, the post 24 is slotted and has a top portionwith a diameter bigger than the corresponding hole 26 in the display 20.When the display 20 is placed onto the post 24, such that the hole 26 isabove the post, and downward pressure is applied, the slot allows thetop portion of the post to compress and thereby fit through the hole.After the display 20 is past the top portion, the top portion of thepost 24 returns to its original size to thereby hold the display inplace. When the display 20 is removed, the upward force applied to thepost 24 by the display, causes the top portion of the post to compressto fit back through the hole 26 such that the display is removed.

In yet another embodiment, the display is held by a magnet 28, ormagnets, permanently attached to the cap 12 as seen in FIG. 9. Thedisplay 20 could be made from a. material that is attracted to themagnet(s) 28 or have such a material attached to it.

The retention configurations described above allow the display 20 to berotated up to 360 degrees while being held by the cap 12. Although suchrotation is not necessary, it allows the information shown on thedisplay 20 to be right side up and readable regardless of the shooter'spreferred orientation for the cap 12, for example, above the opticdevice 11 or to the side such as shown in FIG. 3. The resilientretention member configurations described above are also economical tomanufacture.

The display 20 includes a means for removing the display from the cap12. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 10, the display 20 has a number ofindents 30 formed in the perimeter of the display. The indents 30 aresized and positioned in the display 20 such that the indents allow theshooter to selectively remove the display from the tabs 22 of the cap12. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the indents 30 allow the display20 to be removed by use of a fingernail or the bullet, such as the tipor rim of the casing. Although the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 allows thedisplay 20 to be removed without the use of tools, configurationsrequiring the use of a tool to release and remove the display 20 fromthe cap 12 would not defeat the spirit of the invention.

The display 20 should be made of a material that is resistant toenvironmental conditions such as water, ultraviolet light, heat, cold,etc., as may be experienced while shooting. For example, the display 20when exposed to moisture, ultraviolet light and/or temperatures in therange from about −20° F. to 120° F. does not substantially deform in itsshape or substantially change color so as to affect the performance ofthe display. The display 20 can also have information permanentlyaffixed thereto or therein as seen in FIG. 10 or have permanent spacesfor a shooter to fill in such information or DOPE.

In one embodiment, the display 20 can be made or formed from layers ofplastic coupled or fixed together. As seen in FIG. 11, the display 20 ismade from coupling or fixing a top substrate 32 to one side of a middlesubstrate 34 and coupling or fixing a bottom substrate 36 to anotherside of the middle substrate. The top and bottom substrates 32, 36 canbe thinner than the middle substrate 34 and of a color different thanthe middle substrate. The top and bottom layers or substrates 32, 36 canbe laser engraved so as to remove portions of the top and bottom layersthereby exposing the middle layer or substrate 34 of a different color.Such engravings can also be used to cut the display 20 to the desiredsize and shape from a larger sheet or sheets of material. Using threelayers allows both sides of the display 20 to contain information suchas DOPE.

One example of such a display 20 entails using bright yellow outerlayers and a black middle layer. The contrast of the yellow and blackallows the information, such as shooting information, to be easilyconveyed or seen at night as would the use of photo-chromatic material.Other applications or user preferences could suggest different colorcombinations.

Other numbers of layers can also be used without departing from thespirit of the invention, For example, a two layered display could bemade with just the top layer 32 and the middle layer 34, in which casethe middle layer 34 would also be the bottom layer. Further, the display20 could be made from one substrate such as, for example, if the displayis made from a material that is attracted to the magnet 28 as seen inFIG. 9. Another example of a single material substrate would be aplastic material that is all one color until used in a laser engravingprocess; the laser engraver causes the material to change colors suchthat the engraving is then a different or second color after theengraving process.

Other methods of adding information such as DOPE to a display include,but are not limited to printing on the display, attaching stickers tothe display with information printed on the stickers or allowing suchinformation to be written on the stickers by a shooter or allowing ashooter to write directly on the substrate. The use of such methodswould not defeat the spirit of the invention.

It is anticipated that a shooter could be carrying multiple displays 20with different types of information during an activity, for example longrange target practice. The shooter could quickly and easily change to adisplay 20 with the appropriate information for the firearm, bulletand/or environmental conditions being faced at that time.

An additional embodiment of the invention provides another method forsizing and attaching a cover 10 to an optic device 11, as shown in FIGS.12 and 13. In this embodiment, the cover 10 includes cap 12, flexiblebody 40 and ring 41. Cap 12 is sized to complement ring 41, which isoperably connected to cap 12 using a suitable means, such as a hinge 13.A display 20 may optionally be fitted within or partially within cap 12;display 20 may be fixed or permanent, or it may be customizable orinterchangeable with other displays. It is also possible to use thecover 10 as described herein with no display or with a display that isintegral with the cap 12. Flexible body 40 could be any suitableflexible material including, for example, rubber, silicone, or neoprene.Flexible body 40 is functionally attached to a ring 41 and has a firstend 42 and a second end 43. In the embodiment drawn in FIGS. 12 and 13,flexible body 40 is molded. over ring 41 but other attachment methodscould be used as well including adhesives or mechanical fasteners. Alsoas shown in FIG. 12, the first end 42 of flexible body 40 is wider thanthe second end 43, and the rubber material it is made from has elasticproperties that cause the cover 10 to be securely fitted to optic device11. As shown in FIG. 13, the display 20 includes one recess 45 thatallows the user to selectively remove the display from the cap 12, forexample by using the tip of a jackknife, pen or other tool. Exemplarydisplays 20 are shown in FIGS. 14 and 15.

The flexible body 40 of this embodiment provides several advantages, Thestretchiness or elastic properties of the material used can provide forwell-fitting covers for a variety of sizes of optics devices. Thisdesign also allows for a single cover to fit multiple optic devicesbecause the covers do not need to be precisely sized to the dimensionsof the optic device itself. This in turn will allow the cover to fitmore sizes of scopes, less choices for consumers, and less SKUs fordealers to carry. The greater flexibility provided may enhance thelikelihood that consumers buy the covers 10 for use themselves or asgifts for others. Covers having this design may potentially use lessretail space, as retailers may not need to carry a wide variety ofsizes. Also, requiring less specificity with the body sizing will likelylead to lower tooling costs and easier manufacturing of the covers.

Although the invention has been herein described in what is perceived tobe the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understoodthat the invention is not intended to be limited to the specificembodiments set forth above. Rather, it is recognized that modificationsmay be made by one of skill in the art of the invention withoutdeparting from the spirit or intent of the invention and, therefore, theinvention is to be taken as including all reasonable equivalents to thesubject matter of the appended claims and the description of theinvention herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A cover for an optical device comprising: a cap;a flexible body; and a means for releasably and securely holding adisplay such that the display can be selectively removed from the meansfor releasably and securely holding a display; wherein the means forreleasably and securely holding a display is permanently attached to thecap.
 2. The cover for all optical device of claim 1, wherein the meansfor releasably and securely holding a display is integrally formed withthe cap.
 3. The cover for an optical device of claim 1, wherein the caphas an interior portion and the means for releasably and securelyholding a display is permanently attached to the interior portion of thecap.
 4. The cover for an optical device of claim 1, wherein the meansfor releasably and securely holding a display is at least two resilienttabs.
 5. The cover for an optical device of claim 1, wherein the meansfor releasably and securely holding a display is at least one resilientpost.
 6. The cover for an optical device of claim 1, wherein the meansfor releasably and securely holding a display is at least one magnet. 7.The cover for all optical device of claim 1, wherein the means forreleasably and securely holding a display is an annular ridge formed inthe cap.
 8. The cover for an optical device of claim 1, wherein thedisplay has at least one indent formed therein such that the display maybe selectively removed from the means for releasably and securelyholding a display by the at least one indent.
 9. A cover for an opticaldevice comprising: a flexible body capable of attaching the cover to theoptical device; a cap connected to the body such that the cap can beopened or closed, the cap having an interior portion; a display with aperimeter; and at least one resilient retention member attached to theinterior portion of the cap for retaining the display, the at least oneresilient retention member capable of temporarily deforming to receiveand release the display; wherein the display has at least one indentformed in the perimeter such that the display may be released from theat least one resilient retention member at least through the use of theat least one indent.
 10. The cover for an optical device of claim 9,wherein the display has at least two sides and data of personalequipment is visible by at least one side of the at least two sides. 11.The cover for an optical device of claim 9, wherein the at least oneresilient retention member is a tab.
 12. The cover for an optical deviceof claim 9, wherein the at Least one resilient retention member is apost.
 13. The cover for an optical device of claim 9, wherein the atleast one resilient retention member is an annular ring.
 14. The coverfor an optical device of claim 9, wherein the display is formed bycoupling a top layer to a bottom layer and wherein the top layer is adifferent color than the bottom layer.
 15. The cover for an opticaldevice of claim 9, wherein the display is formed by coupling a top layerand a bottom layer to a middle layer and wherein the top layer andbottom layer are a different color than the middle layer.
 16. A coverfor an optic device comprising: a flexible body for securing the coverto an optic device; a ring connected to the flexible body; a capcomplementary to the ring, the cap operably connected to the ring. 17.The cover of claim 16 wherein the cap has an interior portion that iscapable of releasably and securely holding a display.
 18. The cover ofclaim 17 wherein the display includes DOPE data.
 19. A display for anoptical device cover comprising: a substrate generally having the shapeof a substantially flat disc and having a surface; DOPE data included onthe surface; and an indent in the substrate; wherein the display can bereleasably inserted into an optical device cover and be removed usingthe indent.
 20. The display of claim 19 wherein the substrate furthercomprises one or more layers.